Let's Talk. That was Martin Luther's plan. He didn't want to start a new church. He simply wanted to talk about how the Church of his day could better share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people. He wanted to talk about reforms that would serve to improve the people's understanding of our glorious Triune God.

He found some of the practices of the Church to be in direct opposition to what the Holy Spirit revealed to him as he diligently studied Scripture. As a monk, he prayed daily, searched his soul, and confessed his sins. Still, he felt as if he were not doing enough to rid himself of the weight and guilt of his sins.

As he pondered Paul's letter to the Romans, he experienced an epiphany: He did not have to do good works or do penance for the remission of sin because Jesus freed us of that burden on the cross. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NRSV). It is this focus on God's gift of grace that the Lutheran Tradition rests. It is my hope that Let's Talk Lutheran helps guide the reader into a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian in the Lutheran Tradition.